Three days after the last EABIS Colloquium in Sept. 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed, unleashing a financial, economic and – increasingly – socio-political and governance crisis. The financial crisis especially has highlighted deep flaws in past approaches to the governance of the firm and of economic systems. The 2009 Colloquium will therefore focus on: “The Role of Business in Society: Challenges and Issues for Global and Corporate Governance”.

How is the role of business in society likely to change?

To what extent can governance mechanisms foster Corporate Responsibility at Global, company and individual levels?

These are the central issues which, among others, the EABIS 2009 Colloquium will address in high-level debates on September 21-22 in Barcelona.

The EABIS Colloquium is one of the world’s largest multi-stakeholder conferences to explore Corporate Responsibility issues in management practice, research and education. It attracts each year an audience of 300+ high level executives, researchers, professors, policy-makers and other stakeholders. Among the leading speakers for this year are: Peter Löscher – President and CEO, Siemens; Baldomero Falcones – Chairman and MD, FCC; Prof. Lutgart Van den Berghe – Vlerick Management School; Prof. Jan Aart Scholte – University of Warwick.

The programme highlights include:

EABIS Research Exchange to broker corporate knowledge needs with latest academic research activities and thinking

Interactive multi-stakeholder debates to explore critical dimensions of governance in theory and practice

Dedicated networking events for corporate participants

Presentation of 70-80 papers and case studies by top scholars and managers

The Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) is a unique alliance of companies, business schools and academic institutions, committed to integrating business in society issues into the heart of management theory and practice. Founded in 2002, EABIS has known a continuous growth from its 15 Founding Partners to more than 100 organisations today.